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Tom Tanaka
Tom Tanaka is an old friend and senior of Shizuo Heiwajima in the light novel series Durarara and the Wonderland series. He works as a debt collector and is Shizuo's current employer. Appearance and Personality Appearance Tom is usually seen walking around in a suit, but his striped, unbuttoned shirt and his dyed, dreadlocked hair prevent him from looking too formal. This is probably due to his job as a debt collector, which needs him to look sharp and business-like but not too polite and friendly, as he often confronts people. Personality He generally has a reserved, laid back personality, and as harsh as one might expect an underground debt collector to be, he is usually calm, even when confronted with Shizuo's destructive rampages. He is one of the few able to calm Shizuo down and make him stop fighting without angering him and incurring his wrath. Back Story Tom and Shizuo met when Shizuo was entering middle school. Dengeki Magazine included an omake story that expanded on their middle school history. Some older kids tried to pick on Shizuo but were soon beaten up, and Tom approached with the following goals: a.) learn how not to piss Shizuo off (and thus graduate in one piece), and b.) enlist his help in moving the injured seniors to the hospital. Tom bought Shizuo dinner and advised him to dye his hair blond so to help cultivate a reputation and fitting appearance that would keep punks away. Later, the senior delinquents praised Tom for taming "the rabid dog" and asked him to enlist Shizuo as a combatant for them. Tom refused, reprimanding them for calling Shizuo a dog and for disregarding his hatred of violence. After Tom left, the seniors planned to attack him to trap Shizuo; unfortunately for them, Shizuo had been drowsing nearby for the entirety of the conversation and at that point attacked. The seniors cornered Tom, who held his own just barely until Shizuo arrived and took over. When asked by Shizuo why he, who couldn't fight well, didn't just use Shizuo, Tom answered that although he's not good at fighting and Shizuo is, Shizuo hates violence, so he should not fight. After that, Shizuo dyed his hair and enjoyed a peaceful period as his reputation kept triflers at bay. Tom and Shizuo parted to attend different high schools, and Izaya Orihara undid all of Tom's work. Much later, when both of them were adults, Shizuo was having trouble keeping a job. Tom met Shizuo on the street and decided to hire him as a bodyguard. Thanks to the fact that Tom is able to control Shizuo, and Shizuo's strength and destructive tendencies are actually a good quality to have in his line of work (instead of problematic like they were for his previous employers), Tom became Shizuo's permanent employer. Shizuo's job is to "basically beat up people who can't pay up," and generally to stay around Tom, protecting him. Tom has also made it clear that Shizuo doesn't need to beat everybody up, the idea being to use Shizuo's name and reputation to scare people into paying their debts. Shizuo, unfortunately, does so anyway. Storyline History Caged Wonderland Tom, Shizuo, and Vorona are relaxing in the bar when Tom's phone rings. His boss called him for another job with a man named Kita. Due to Kita insulting Kasuka and Shizuo nearly killing the man, Tom and Vorona leave Shizuo behind at the bar to deal with the job. When Tom and Vorona return, Shizuo is gone. The pair spend all night looking for him. Tom calls up Kasuka and asks if Shizuo was with him. When the younger brother says no, Tom gets worried. Even Celty can't find Shizuo. By the time, Shizuo in found, Tom and Vorona are horrified by the broken state that the body guard is in with a bull head on his head with the body of Dorothea nearby. In "Blackout", Tom and Vorona have lunch in Russia Sushi and decide not to tell Kasuka what happened to Shizuo. When Simon asked about the body guard, the debt collector lies and says that he is just sick. The Month of No Gods It is revealed that Tom told Vorona where Shizuo was being kept. Devil's Wonderland Trivia * Ryohgo Narita once mentioned on his blog that Tom's knowledge of gangs surpasses even Izaya's. * Tom does not work for a bank, instead owning his own debt collection agency. In the light novels, he collects money for an online dating website. Source * https://durarara.wikia.com/wiki/Tom_Tanaka Category:Characters Category:Wonderland Characters Category:Human Category:Male Characters Category:Canon Characters